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What are you baking these days? August 2011, part 1 [old]

Hi there, here we are in August already. This year is whipping by...July was an unexpectedly busy month in our bakers' kitchens, given the wretched heat in many parts.August will most likely be too. It happens to be my favorite month because my birthday falls in it, and I spend a good part of it figuring out what birthday cake to make myself (being the "it's all about me" Leo that I am). This year, I'm thinking white chocoilate and passionfruit, but am not sure in what form. Any ideas?And in the midst of Nature's bounty of fruit and sunshine, what are you baking these days?

What I had meant to bake this weekend I didn't get around to and so this coming week or weekend I plan to make the Salted Butter Breakups, Potato Focaccia and try and get a sourdough starter to actually take hold and become a mother starter.

Re: the passionfruit and white chocolate cake - remember the picture I posted in the last thread of the rolled fondant cake? It was an RLB cake (though hers was nicer-looking than mine) that was a white chocolate layer cake that had raspberry buttercream between the layers. You could always use passionfruit buttercream instead.

I made that cake for my MIL's 70th birthday, but I imagine that someone of your tender years would not want something that elaborate, involving fondant, so I suggest white chocolate buttercream instead.

Please let me know if you would like me to post the recipe. It's long and involved, but I imagine that components are in TCB, so I could just refer you to it for the appropriate sections.

That sounds great - thanks for the recipe search, not necessary (for me, anyway), I'll have a shuftie at ol' RLB.

Was also thinking of jazzing up a cake I make a lot from a 1970's Joy of Cooking recipe - Blitztorte? -, in which you make the cake batter with the yolks only, and make the egg whites into a meringue, which you spread on the uncooked cake batter, stud with slivered almonds, and bake.

Makes a sort of fast and dirty Zuger Kirschtorte (my favorite fancy cake, hmm...). You can fill it with lemon curd, or sugared fruit, or whatnot. I made it for my 23rd bday (sticks in memory because Elvis and Groucho died that week) and two friends snuck and finished it off after it had been portioned out and the rest squirrelled away for later delectation (was filled with raspberries).

Home on Saturday from family events in Virginia and Texas with temperatures ranging from 104-106°F. I have great respect for those of you who crank up the ovens to bake in such heat. While I considered waking at 6 am to bake pies for the family reunion, I was reluctant to heat my hosts' kitchen and purchased pies at the local farmers market - buy local!My end-of-July baking was a Swiss Chard mini quiche appetizer for friends' birthday/retirement potluck picnic in Oakland yesterday. I am travel weary now but bake-ready for August.Let's all bake to celebrate August birthdays for buttertart, kathleen221, and twiight goddess - what day do we bake, buttertart? twilight goddess? kathleen221?